This invention relates generally to an apparatus for determining an inherent delay in a transponder, wherein the delay corresponds to various physical quantities. More particularly, the invention concerns a method and apparatus for determining the inherent delay of a transponder on a pulse-by-pulse basis such that variations in the delay, which occur over the course of operation due to variations in various physical quantities such as temperature, pressure, stress, strain and the like, are immediately known. In addition, the method and apparatus of the present invention allow for determination of the transponder delay without interruption of the normal operation of the transponder device.
At the most fundamental level, radar systems depend on measuring the time delay between a transmitted and a subsequently received signal. The necessary accuracy for the measurement of this delay can be in the sub-microsecond range, and direct measurement of such time intervals is a substantial technical challenge.
In the past the standard procedure of measuring the range accuracy of shipboard radar equipment was to provide a target consisting of a passive reflector situated on a known surveyed point, which is tracked by the ship""s radar. This procedure is typically limited to the lower range scales. In order to test higher range scales, an active transponder is used to produce an artificial range, which is added onto the actual separation between the ship""s radar and the transponder unit. The resultant sum of actual and artificial ranges is then compared to the range indicated on the shipboard equipment.
Such prior art transponders typically consist of three basic units, a receiver, a clock timer, and a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter are tuned to the frequency of the radar under test. Upon receiving the pulse transmitted by the ship""s radar, the clock counts out a specified period of time and triggers the transmitter, which sends an artificial echo return pulse back to the ship""s radar. This clock time is directly proportional to the desired artificial range. This artificial range is to be used as the standard against which to compare the radar unit under test, so it must be known to a high degree of accuracy. Since the range is directly related to the time delay, the problem becomes that of determining precisely the elapsed time between reception at the transponder of the pulse transmitted by the ship""s radar, and the transmission of the return pulse by the transponder unit. The precision required necessitates that such factors as receiver and transmitter response times and propagation delays in the waveguides and coaxial cables be considered along with the clock time.
In order to obtain the required precision, the total delay time for a signal to complete the signal path through the transponder must be known. In the past a variety of methods have been used to measure this delay time, most of which involved the use of an oscilloscope for the actual measurement. Measurements performed by these different techniques have yielded results, which disagree. These methods involve artificially introducing a triggering signal and watching for the transmitted pulse on an oscilloscope. The time between the trigger signal and generation of the transmit pulse is taken as the total delay time, T. This method requires the selection of appropriate points on the leading edge of each waveform to serve as the beginning and end points of the delay period. This is critical because the rise times of the pulses are on the order of 30 nanoseconds, which is equivalent to 5 yards in range. The pulses also exhibit about 60 nanoseconds of jitter, which at a typical sweep speed (e.g., 0.2:sec/cm) corresponds to a trace movement of 3 millimeters. This jitter must be visually averaged to an accuracy of 0.3 millimeters to meet the desired measurement accuracy capability of 1 yard. In addition, the scope sweep itself must be calibrated by observing the output waveform from a crystal oscillator of known frequency and adjusting the scope. This scope calibration is itself also subject to similar considerations regarding the necessary visual acuity. In order to achieve the time resolution necessary for the measurement, a sweep speed of at least 0.2 xcexcs/cm would be necessary. This in turn means that the inherent delay can only be measured at limited ranges, for which T is small enough that both pulses can be displayed on the same sweep. Once the measurements are made, the transponder is considered calibrated for any indicated range set into the delay controls.
While modern oscilloscopes have overcome some of the above mentioned measurement difficulties, there remain problems associated with the described prior art delay measurement techniques. A first problem is that it is a static (one time) calibration as opposed to a continuous calibration. Accordingly, variations in the delay, which may be caused for reasons such as a change in temperature, are not accounted for by the system. A second problem is that because the counter circuits in the delay clock may not function perfectly at all ranges and the calibration is performed at a fixed range, a detected delay value may have a further unknown and undeterminable error. A third problem is that if the transponder delay is smaller than the pulse width of the test pulse, it is not possible to determine the amount of the delay. A fourth problem is that normal operation of the transponder and receiver must be halted during the calibration process.
One prior art method for calibrating transponders for aircraft includes manual calibration with test signals. Specifically, in one method while the aircraft is grounded, a ground crew will manually test the transponders on board the aircraft to determine the inherent delay. With the grounded method, the inherent delay information must then be transferred to the active radar systems, wherein it may be subtracted from future detected radar signals. In another method, while the aircraft is in flight, a flight crew may manually test the transponder on board the aircraft to determine the inherent delay. With the in-flight method, the inherent delay information must then be transmitted back to the active radar systems, wherein it may be subtracted from future detected radar signals.
Manual calibration of transponders as described above has an inherent limitation that restricts any practical application. Specifically, any subsequent change in temperature, pressure, stress, strain and the like, will result in an unknown and undeterminable inherent delay in the transponder. As such, unless a transponder is constantly manually calibrated, the true, real-time, delay of the system cannot be determined. However, it is impractical to expend manpower to constantly manually calibrate the transponder. Furthermore, even when a transponder operator calibrates the system in flight, the manual operation is difficult and the results are difficult to communicate to a receiving station in a timely manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,607 to Robinson, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, is an exemplary prior art ship board ring-around radar system calibrator. Robinson provides a system and method for calibration of a transponder, for use with ship board radar, by measuring the total delay time required from antenna to antenna. In the reference, stray signals from the transmitting antenna of a remote transponder are allowed to enter the receiver of the remote transponder and initiate a self-sustaining xe2x80x9cring-aroundxe2x80x9d oscillation. That portion of the oscillation required for the pulse to travel internally through the transponder from the receiving antenna to the transmitting antenna is the total delay time.
Typically, ring-around is an undesirable phenomenon that creates interference with transponded signals, and/or creates confusing xe2x80x9cghostxe2x80x9d echoes of the transponded signals. As such, Robinson is the only prior art transponder calibration system that uses, as opposed to suppressing or eliminating, ring around.
In the reference, a switch sets the transponder into a calibration mode. In the calibration mode, the transponder stops receiving incoming pulses from the ship""s radar, and instead initiates a self-sustaining xe2x80x9cring-aroundxe2x80x9d oscillation. The frequency of the oscillation is determined by the time required for the pulse to travel through the space between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna. The transponder oscillates with a period of oscillation wherein the total inherent delay of the system may be measured and sent back to the ship""s radar. Once the period of inherent delay of the system is measured, the transponder resets back to an operation mode, for transponding signals from the ship. Knowing the previously determined inherent delay of the transponder, the ship""s radar then may accurately filter inherent transponder delay from transponded signals.
The system and method as described in Robinson has limitations that restrict its practical application. The first limitation deals with the transponder""s inability to transpond signals to active radar detectors while in the calibration mode. For sea faring vessels, whose relative velocity to that of the transponder typically is on the order of 5-30 knots, a radar xe2x80x9cblack-outxe2x80x9d while the Robinson transponder is in calibration mode is not critical. On the other hand, for craft that travel at velocities an order of magnitude faster such as aircraft, such times for radar xe2x80x9cblack-outsxe2x80x9d are critical and may be unacceptable.
The second limitation of Robinson""s system that restricts its practical application deals with effects of time varying physical quantities such as temperature, pressure, stress, strain and the like, on the transponder. Specifically, any subsequent change in temperature, pressure, stress, strain and the like, will result in a further unknown and undeterminable inherent delay. As such, unless a transponder in accordance with the teaching of Robinson is constantly calibrated, then the true, real-time, delay of the system cannot be realized. However, if a transponder in accordance with the teaching of Robinson is constantly calibrated, then it would never transpond because it is unable to transpond during a calibration mode.
The third limitation of Robinson""s system that restricts its practical application deals with problems associated with minute inherent delays in the transponder. Specifically, if a detected inherent delay in the transponder is smaller than the pulse width of the calibration pulse, the method/system will be unable to determine the amount of the delay.
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing problems, what is needed is a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder wherein the determined inherent delay is not dependent on distance between the transponder and the active radar.
What is further needed is a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder when the delay varies over time.
What is still further needed is a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder that is capable of readily informing the radar system regarding the amount of inherent delay in the transponder when the delay is smaller than the pulse width of the transmitted radar pulse.
What is yet further needed is a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder that constantly transponds signals to active radar detectors, without disrupting operation of the transponder.
What is still yet further needed is a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder that constantly updates the inherent delay in the transponder as a result of effects of physical quantities such as temperature, pressure, stress, strain and the like.
It is an object of this invention to provide a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder wherein the determined inherent delay is not dependent on distance between the transponder and the active radar.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder that is capable of easily informing the radar system regarding the amount of inherent delay in the transponder when the delay is smaller than the pulse width of the transmitted radar pulse.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder that constantly transponds signals to active radar detectors. Accordingly, a calibration mode which disrupts normal operation is not required.
It is still yet another object of this invention to provide a transponder self calibration method and system for remotely determining the inherent delay in a transponder that constantly updates the inherent delay in the transponder to account for variations in the delay due to changes in temperature, pressure, stress, strain and the like. This is accomplished for each and every pulse transmitted.
The thrust of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for remotely and constantly calibrating a transponder by using the ring around phenomenon. A number of different time varying physical quantities, such as for example temperature, signal level, noise, transmission line flex, frequency, and general operational effects, affect the inherent delay in transponders on a time varying basis. The invention relies on the ring around phenomenon to produce pulse doublets, wherein the distance between the pulses in the pulse doublets correspond to the instantaneous delay in the transponder. The system is configured so that instantaneous variation in the transmission delay is detected and recognized on a pulse by pulse basis.
In general the present invention provides a method of calibrating a transponder comprising the steps of transmitting a first signal comprising a plurality of pulses from a transmitter to the transponder, transmitting a second signal comprising a plurality of pulse doublets from the transponder to the transmitter, wherein the first pulse and the second pulse are separated by a first delay, and determining the inherent delay in the transponder corresponding to the first delay.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the transmitter is remote from the transponder.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the doublets comprise a first pulse, corresponding to an echo of a pulse within the plurality of pulses from the first signal, and a second pulse corresponding to the ring around signal from the transponder. Preferably, the step of transmitting a second signal further includes a step of providing a constant delay with a constant delay element.
In general the present invention further provides a transponder comprising a receiving antennae for receiving input signals, a receiver for synthesizing the received input signals, a constant delay element for adding a constant delay to the synthesized received input signal, a transmitter in communication with the constant delay element for generating an output signal, and an output antennae for transmitting the output signal.
The method and apparatus of the present invention provides important advantages over prior art methods. For example, one advantage is that, as opposed to a one time static measurement, the method of the present invention continually provides current system delay information in response to each received pulse. This delay information is inherently accurate. Another advantage is that there is no need to halt operation of the system to perform calibration. Another advantage is that the present invention automatically incorporates variations in the delay due to changes in operating conditions (e.g., temperature), and provides information concerning such delay variations on a pulse-by-pulse basis. Yet another advantage is that the system is readily operable with radar systems having short pulse width operating modes.
Additional advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The invention itself, together with further objects and advantages, can be better understood by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.